The shooting of a border officer at a B.C. crossing in fall 2012 sparked nationwide concerns about whether frontline workers had adequate “cover” to deal with armed attackers, a newly released report shows.

Several regions have put up concrete barriers and sand-filled barrels, but these protective measures “have not been undertaken consistently across the country,” said the 89-page Canada Border Services Agencyreport completed in June 2013 and released to Postmedia News under access-to-information laws.

Other suggestions put forward in the shooting’s aftermath included the installation of bullet-resistant glass around officers’ booths, sliding doors to allow easier escapes, and one-way reflective film that would allow officers to see out but prevent the public from seeing in.

Jason McMichael, a spokesman for the Customs and Immigration Union, said Wednesday the union has “long advocated” for bullet-proof glass and agrees with other recommendations in the report.

Patrizia Giolti, a spokeswoman for the Canada Border Services Agency, said that a committee has been created to review facility modifications and help mitigate risks to employees and the public.

In the early afternoon of Oct. 16, 2012, a white van pulled up to the primary inspection line at the Peace Arch (Douglas) border crossing, Western Canada’s busiest. Without warning, the driver shot Officer Lori Bowcock in the neck. Bowcock radioed for help and was airlifted to hospital in critical condition. She survived.

The gunman, 32-year-old Seattle tattoo artist Andrew Crews, took his own life. Officials said the attack was “random.”

Eight officers immediately responded with guns drawn, according to the report. One of them had difficulty punching in the access code to get into Bowcock’s booth.

When he got in, he aimed his weapon at the gunman through the booth’s window while another officer provided first-aid. When the gunman didn’t respond to verbal commands, the officer had to reach out the booth’s window to open the van’s door.

“The absence of a sliding side door limited entry/exit options and was cited as potentially compromising the ability to gain access to render aid, escape or tactically reposition,” the report said.

Concerns were also raised about the “limited availability of cover options” and potential risk to others in the inspection area, especially if additional shots had been fired.

Some officials suggested the need for “full ballistic protection” in the primary inspection area, as well as the creation of “safe zones” and better “duck and cover” protection.

The report highlighted other areas in need of improvement:

— The agency is in the midst of a 10-year program to train and arm 6,700 officers by 2016. Many officers cited the need for better “active shooter” scenario training, as well as training to deal with people with mental illness.

— CBSA officers were unable to communicate by radio with outside agencies and expressed concerns about the absence of recordings of radio communications — something that is standard among other law enforcement agencies and considered “integral to the investigative process.”

— The shooting forced the closure of the border for two days. But during the review of the incident, officials were “unclear” as to who held the delegated or legal authority to shut down the border.

— Limited information in personnel records “created havoc” for officials trying to find Bowcock’s family. They turned to colleagues, searched social media and eventually had to go into Bowcock’s locker.

— Information — some of it false — spread quickly on Twitter and other social media, prompting suggestions that the agency should look into “corrective blogging.” The absence of a CBSA spokesperson to speak to reporters in the first hours — an RCMP officer addressed the media instead — was a “missed opportunity” for CBSA to show “control, leadership and sympathy.”

— The shooting’s impact on staff was “more profound” than managers expected. Almost all staff were unprepared to return to work when the border re-opened. Workers had to be brought in from Vancouver airport and most of them were unarmed.

— More than 40 crisis counselors responded over the next 10 days. While the response was praised, some questioned whether other regions would be able respond in the same manner. There was also “confusion” about who would be in the best position to keep an eye out for post-traumatic stress disorder in the months ahead.

— The incident sparked a “contentious” debate over whether officers could wear ribbons of support for Bowcock, as ribbons usually are associated with death. In the end, they were allowed to wear them.

Giolti said the CBSA’s employee-assistance and stress-management programs have been strengthened in the wake of the incident and that a working group has been formed to ensure that staff returning to work after a critical incident “have the support services available to assist them.”

“While the (report) highlighted some key areas to further strengthen CBSA’s position to respond to a critical incident, it concluded that the Agency’s response and ongoing management of the incident was well executed, under some very difficult and demanding circumstances,” she said via email.

Six months after that shooting, U.S. border guards exchanged gunfire with two camouflaged men and suspected drug smugglers in the woods just a few kilometres from the Huntingdon border crossing in B.C.’s Fraser Valley. The officers were not hurt and two men were taken into custody.